photographer

Daniil Medvedev reacts next to chair umpire Greg Allensworth after a photographer ran onto the court Sunday in New York.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

The rematch initially appeared as if it was going to be a quicker upset than the first time around. Bonzi won the first two sets and was up 5-4 and serving for match point in the third … when all hell broke loose.

Bonzi missed on his first serve and was preparing for his second when he was interrupted. A photographer who apparently thought the match was over had stepped onto the court and was immediately reprimanded over the loudspeaker by chair umpire Greg Allensworth.

Allensworth then announced that Bonzi would be given another chance at his first serve “because of the delay caused by an outside interference.”

The decision appears to be based on a USTA tournament regulation which states that if there is a delay between the first and second serves, “the server gets two serves if the delay was caused by the receiver or if there was outside interference.”

The announcement drew a negative response from the crowd, which Medvedev encouraged by using arm gestures. He then started berating Allensworth, seeming to ask him, “Are you a man?” more than once before leaning into the microphone behind the chair to address the crowd.

“He wants to go home, guys,” Medvedev said. “He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”

He also yelled, “What did Reilly Opelka say?” at least three times, in reference to the U.S. player who was fined by the ATP Tour earlier this year after referring to Allensworth as the “worst ump on tour. ”

Medvedev later told reporters that he was upset with Allensworth’s ruling because he didn’t think the photographer had caused enough of a delay to warrant a repeat first serve.

As he returned to the court, Medvedev continued to motion for the crowd to voice its displeasure. Many of the fans complied, with TV footage showing a lot of them appearing to be more amused than enraged by the situation.

After about two minutes, Allensworth asked for order so Bonzi could serve. When that didn’t work, Medvedev started motioning for the spectators to quiet down. They didn’t, and Medvedev appeared to enjoy the lengthy disruption, at one point blowing kisses toward the stands.

“I just expressed my emotions, my unhappiness with the decision,” Medvedev said later. “And then the crowd did what they did without me, without me asking them too much. And it was fun to witness.”

Bonzi appeared to be on the verge of serving several times before stopping because of the noise.

“Every time I went on the line to serve and every time I did that, everyone was booing. I felt I didn’t do anything bad in the match to, like, receive this treatment, and I didn’t want to serve in those conditions,” Bonzi said. “So I was waiting.”

After a delay of roughly six minutes, Bonzi finally served — and missed again, much to the audible delight of the crowd. He got the second serve over the net but lost the point after a lengthy volley.

Ex-US Open champ suffers meltdown in a third-set flashpoint after an errant photographer’s action caused a point replay.

France’s Benjamin Bonzi sent 13th seed Daniil Medvedev crashing out of the US Open in a stormy late-night thriller that boiled over into chaos following an extraordinary third-set meltdown by the Russian.

Bonzi advanced to the second round after holding his nerve to win 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 0-6, 6-4 in three hours and 45 minutes on Sunday night at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The match exploded into drama in the third set as Bonzi served at advantage on match point, leading 5-4 after winning the opening two sets.

After faulting on his first serve, Bonzi prepared to serve again when chair umpire Greg Allensworth suddenly halted play after a photographer mistakenly walked onto the court.

Allensworth called for time after shouting, “Not now, get off the court, please”, before awarding a new first serve to Bonzi on the grounds of a “delay caused by outside interference”.

That prompted an incandescent reaction from Medvedev, who sprinted across the court to remonstrate angrily with Allensworth, accusing the umpire of seeking to end the match early.

“Are you a man? Are you a man?” the 2021 US Open champion asked Allensworth, before shouting into a courtside microphone: “He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here; he gets paid by the match, not by the hour.”

Medvedev then turned to the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd, waving his arms wildly to encourage them to voice their displeasure.

As deafening catcalls and jeers rained down, play was held up for more than six minutes before Bonzi finally got the opportunity to serve for the match once again.

With the Frenchman clearly rattled, Medvedev saved match point and then went on to force a third-set tie-break, which he duly won to keep the match alive.

Medvedev recovers, then falls at the final hurdle

Bonzi appeared to wilt in the fourth set, Medvedev winning 6-0 to send it to a decider.

But Bonzi showed great resolve in the fifth set, twice recovering from going a break down before breaking Medvedev’s serve to seal victory.

“It was crazy. I may have got some new fans but also some new non-fans,” Bonzi said afterwards.

“The energy was wild. Thanks to all those who were booing that gave me energy in the fifth.”

Bonzi admitted he had lost composure during Medvedev’s third-set antics.

“I never experienced something like that. Maybe we wait five minutes before the match point, and it was so difficult to play,” he said.

“I tried to stay calm and stay in the match, but it was not easy.”

Medvedev, meanwhile, slumped to his seat after the defeat, smashing a racquet violently in frustration.

Medvedev becomes the first former champion to exit this year’s tournament, leaving Flushing Meadows after a disappointing year at the majors, during which he managed to reach the second round just once.

Sunday’s incident was reminiscent of Medvedev’s 2019 match on the same court, when fans booed him for his antics and he later taunted the crowd in his post-match interview, saying the jeers gave him energy. Medvedev had snatched the towel from a ball person during the match and was given a code violation by umpire Damien Dumusois. He then threw his racket in the direction of Dumusois, barked something at him and later flashed his middle finger next to his forehead as he walked past the umpire’s chair, actions that led to him being fined $9,000 for that match.

NEW YORK — Daniil Medvedev’s match was delayed more than six minutes between points Sunday night, after a photographer entered the court on match point and the 2021 U.S. Open champion became enraged by the chair umpire’s decision to award his opponent a first serve.

The latest Medvedev meltdown on Louis Armstrong Stadium led to a wild change in the match. The No. 13 seed was a point away from being eliminated, then won the next two sets to force a deciding fifth before Benjamin Bonzi eliminated him from a second straight major with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 victory that ended early Monday.

“I tried to stay calm in the match but it was not easy,” Bonzi said.

Daniil Medvedev, right, reacts next to chair umpire Greg Allensworth after a photographer ran onto the court during his match against Benjamin Bonzi in the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday night.

(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

Bonzi had just hit his first serve leading 5-4 in the third set. After he missed it, a photographer left his position before the Frenchman could hit his second.

Chair umpire Greg Allensworth told the photographer to get off the court, then announced that Bonzi would get another first serve because of the delay — which is common in tennis. Medvedev then approached the chair to complain about the decision.

“He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match, not by the hour,” Medvedev shouted into the microphones behind the chair.

Medvedev kept encouraging the loud boos on Armstrong, which eventually lasted so long that he then tried to get fans to quiet down so Bonzi could serve. When Bonzi finally did, he missed the first serve and then lost the point, and Medvedev won the game and later the set in a tiebreaker to prolong the match.

“I never experienced something like that,” said Bonzi, who had fans chanting his name at times.

It was reminiscent of Medvedev’s 2019 match on the same court, when fans booed him for his antics and he later taunted the crowd in his post-match interview, saying the jeers gave him energy. Medvedev had snatched the towel from a ballperson during the match and was given a code violation by umpire Damien Dumusois. Medvedev then threw his racket in the direction of Dumusois, barked something at him and later flashed his middle finger next to his forehead as he walked past the umpire’s chair, actions that led to him being fined $9,000 for that match.

Medvedev reached the final that year, then won the title two years later. But he went just 1-4 in Grand Slam tournaments this year and was also upset by Bonzi in the first round at Wimbledon.

Medvedev sat in his chair for a few minutes after the match and repeatedly smashed his racket before eventually departing.

A U.S. Tennis Association spokesman said the photographer was escorted from the court by U.S. Open security and his credential was revoked.

Grigory Skvortsov, who denies wrongdoing in sharing details of the bunkers, will serve his sentence in a maximum-security prison.

A Russian court has found a photographer guilty of treason and jailed him for 16 years for allegedly sharing information about Soviet-era underground bunkers with an American journalist.

The court in the western city of Perm sentenced Grigory Skvortsov on Thursday after a closed-door trial, without giving more details on the charges. Skvortsov, who was arrested by Russian authorities in 2023, has denied any wrongdoing.

The court said Skvortsov would serve his sentence in a maximum-security corrective prison camp.

It also published a photograph of him in a glass courtroom cage dressed in black as he listened to the verdict being read out.

In a December 2024 interview with Pervy Otdel, a group of exiled Russian lawyers, Skvortsov said he had passed on information that was either publicly available online or available to buy from the Russian author of a book about Soviet-era underground facilities for use in the event of a nuclear war.

Skvortsov did not name the US journalist he was working with in the interview with Pervy Otdel.

Since its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022, Russia has radically expanded its definition of what constitutes state secrets and has jailed academics, scientists and journalists it deems to have contravened the new rules.

Skvortsov, who specialises in architecture photography, has also spoken out publicly against Moscow’s military offensive on Ukraine. He has alleged that Federal Security Service (FSB) officers beat him during his arrest in November 2023 and said they tried to force him under duress to admit guilt to treason.

An online support group for Skvortsov said on Telegram after the verdict that “a miracle had not happened” and the photographer’s only hope of getting out of jail was to be exchanged as part of a prisoner swap between Russia and the West.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights organisation Memorial has listed Skvortsov as among those subjected to criminal prosecution that is likely “politically motivated and marked by serious legal violations”.

Earlier this year, a Russian court sentenced four journalists to five and a half years in prison each after convicting them of “extremism” linked to their alleged work with an organisation founded by the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

Times photographer Luke Johnson captured the moment when authorities tackled and handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla on Thursday when he interrupted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.

Johnson’s images document many of the key moments of an encounter that has sparked controversy amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Padilla attempts to speak

The senator was standing near a wall on one side of the room, then tried to interrupt Noem to ask a question.

“I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” he said, as one agent grabbed his jacket and shoved him backward on the chest and arm. “I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is that half a dozen violent criminals that you’re rotating on your — on your …”

“Hands off!” Padilla said, as three agents pushed him into a separate room.

Agent grabs him

Padilla is taken down

Videos from the press conference show agents forcing Padilla to his knees and handcuffing him.

Padilla speaks out

The senator later held a press conference to describe what happened.

“I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed,” Padilla said. “I was not arrested. I was not detained.”

If this is how the Trump administration treats a “senator with a question,” Padilla said, with tears in his eyes, “I can only imagine what they’re doing to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community.”

THIS is the moment a TV journalist was shot live on air as she reported on the violent immigration riots in Los Angeles.

Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi was covering the protests for Nine News when she was blasted at close range by a rubber bullet, collapsing in agony mid-broadcast.

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“The LAPD are moving in on horseback and firing rubber bullets at protesters,” Tomasi told viewers, as loud bangs echoed across Downtown LA.

Suddenly, a police officer swung his weapon towards her, and a cloud of smoke erupted near the correspondent. Caught on camera, Tomasi doubled over in pain, live on air.

“You just f***ing shot a reporter!” a furious protester screamed at police, as others rushed to help the injured Aussie.

Despite the shocking moment, Tomasi managed to yell back, “I’m good, I’m good.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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Standing near the ledge of a magnificent canyon in Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park in the hours before sunset, my fiancée Gia and I looked each other in the eyes as we read our vows. But our officiant was nowhere in sight.

That’s because she was darting around the rocks, seeking the perfect angle to capture the moment with her camera. We hired Aimée Flynn as our photographer, but she became our officiant as well. She was also our location scout, wedding planner and even our tour guide. On the short hike to our ceremony spot, she told us about the park’s flora and fauna and how “Thelma and Louise” was filmed at a spot below where we stood.

For Flynn, it’s all part of her job as an elopement adventure photographer. Those who pursue this style of specialized wedding photography forgo old-school events for unique adventures, guiding couples through the most intimate ceremonies in nature’s most spectacular settings. Flynn, who’s based in Flagstaff, Ariz., photographed one couple embraced in a Spider-Man-style kiss while climbing on sheer rock face in Moab and another under the moonlight at Yosemite’s Glacier Point after a middle-of-the-night hike in total isolation.

Aimée Flynn goes to great lengths — and heights — to get the shot.

(Aimée Flynn Photo)

Elopement adventure photography was born in earnest 10 years ago, pioneered by Maddie Mae, a wedding photographer who’d grown disillusioned with traditional weddings. “There was a lot of discontentment from people feeling pressure to do things they didn’t want, like the garter toss, or who had family members trying to make the event about them,” recalls Maddie Mae, who goes by one name. “Eighty percent seemed like they just wanted it to be over with.”

There were already photographers taking couples out in gorgeous outdoor settings, but “I didn’t see anyone offering a full-day experience treated with the same importance as a big wedding,” Maddie Mae says.

Maddie Mae changed the game — her elopement adventures took people wherever they wanted to go, giving them permission to have whatever kind of ceremony they desired. When she shot her first elopement in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, she was transformed. All the traditional wedding details were stripped away: There was no venue, no decor, no distracting crowd, no strict timeline. Just two people committing their lives to each other in nature, which she calls “the most sacred of sanctuaries.”

“It was the first time I’d seen a couple where they were fully present in their eyes the entire day,” Maddie Mae says. “It was the purest form of a wedding.”

Other photographers followed in Maddie Mae’s footsteps, especially after she began leading workshops on elopement adventures; the three other photographers I interviewed for this piece, Flynn, Traci Edwards and Karen Agurto, all took her courses.

Karen Agurto photographed a couple in the Lava Tube at the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert.

(Karen Agurto Photography)

Elopement adventures remained a “very niche” field until the COVID-19 pandemic, Flynn says. “People couldn’t have their big weddings but still wanted to get married.” (Maddie Mae received 284 inquiries in May 2020 alone.)

The photographers emphasize that their job involves much more than taking beautiful pictures. “These couples are rejecting the default template, which opens this world of possibilities,” Maddie Mae says. “But then they wonder, ‘Where do we go, what do we do, how can we make this ours?’ Elopement photographers are experience creators.”

Traci Edwards captured an elopement at Yosemite National Park.

(Traci Edwards / Adventure + Vow)

Maddie Mae photographed a couple who kayaked and said their vows on an Alaskan glacier.

(Maddie Mae / Adventure Instead)

For starters, the photographers double as trip planners. Sometimes, Agurto, who’s based in Orange County and shoots entirely in California, says she has some blanket recommendations — no Death Valley in the summer or Big Sur during mudslide season, for instance — but each couple is different. Some have clear visions for their adventure while others are more open. Edwards, similarly, has seen all sorts of requests, from a couple who would go anywhere in the desert under a night sky (she chose Joshua Tree) to one who wanted to be photographed on a specific 11-mile hike in Washington. She encourages couples to choose a place that “matches their relationship.” During the elopements, her husband Bill takes photos via drone and shoots video.

(Maddie Mae, who is in a different echelon in terms of pricing and clientele, has photographed elopements in more than 20 countries, including at the Dolomites in Italy, the deserts in Namibia and glaciers in Iceland. She says at this point in her career, clients often give her free rein.)

My fiancée and I knew we wanted to get married somewhere beautiful in a location new to both of us, and we found Flynn after searching online. We had originally planned for Canyonlands rather than Dead Horse Point — not because of the unromantic name but because we’d never heard of it. But Flynn explained that the national park had more restrictions and less privacy while Dead Horse offered equally monumental vistas.

She educated us about the pros and cons of sunrise versus sunset shoots (we chose sunset), recommended hair stylists and makeup artists for Gia, made restaurant suggestions and encouraged my idea of a kayaking trip on the Colorado River the day after our wedding as a nice contrast with our hikes in Canyonlands and Arches the two days before the ceremony. (Quick aside: We found lodging on our own. If you’re heading to Moab, definitely go to Red Moon Lodge, which features cozy rooms that open onto majestic views, a garden, a pond and an outdoor space where one of the co-owners, Danny, teaches yoga classes.)

Aimée Flynn left her former career as a therapist and started chasing what she calls “peak existence on top of the world moments.”

(Aimée Flynn Photo)

Flynn says communication is crucial, which keeps couples calm if things go awry. The photographers build flex time into their schedule so if bad weather looms, they can shift ceremony timing by a few hours or even a day.

Another must is a bag of emergency provisions, in case they have to save the day. Agurto’s bag includes hairspray, Band-Aids and Tylenol; Flynn’s has safety pins, blankets, clear umbrellas and eyelash glue (“when people are hiking, their eyelashes can come undone”); and Edwards says snacks are a critical item (she witnessed one person almost pass out in a remote area), as is a sewing kit (“I’ve sewn several brides back into their dresses after a zipper broke or sleeve ripped on the trail,” she says).

Above all, the photographers prioritize creating emotional connections as much as capturing epic pictures. “With AI, you could fake these photos, but the people who hire elopement adventure photographers want the full experience,” says Flynn.

Maddie Mae has photographed couples on all seven continents.

(Maddie Mae / Adventure Instead)

At ceremony time, Agurto, who used to teach yoga, starts her couples off by asking them to close their eyes and do a breathing exercise. “I want to calm them and get them in the moment,” she says. (We adopted that idea and it helped us savor the experience.) The photographers also make sure to give couples as much privacy as needed — that’s what zoom lenses are for, Flynn notes, while Agurto adds that she offers to wear headphones during the vows.

After exchanging vows and rings, Gia and I sipped prosecco, ate brownies and danced to Langhorne Slim’s “House of My Soul,” while Flynn continued shooting (taking a break only to share some bubbly), sometimes asking for specific poses but mostly letting us be.

And while the ceremony is obviously the emotional centerpiece, the day doesn’t end there. For us, the rest of the evening was almost as memorable, a mix of jaw-dropping beauty and carefree fun. Flynn took us to different spots for more photos as the sun was setting. Then she took out lanterns for us to pose with in the moonlight. Flynn’s infectious enthusiasm made us feel like models or movie stars on a photo shoot. (Enhancing that feeling was the way people reacted when they saw us hiking in formal wedding attire and boots.)

Later still, we drove to Arches National Park, with Flynn enjoying her work so much she went well beyond the four-hour window we had hired her for.

The evening ended with Gia and I standing beneath North Window Arch, illuminated by the nearly full moon, with a sky full of stars behind us. It was as romantic and as visually stunning as it sounds. Because Flynn does her job so well, we were able to fully relax into the moment, trusting that we would have both our memories and exquisite photos to preserve this day forever.

The author and his wife Gia under the stars in Arches National Park.

(Aimée Flynn Photo)